Summer Ratatouille with Chinese Eggplants

I have to admit that the inspiration for this recipe came directly from the farmer I brought the veggies and the Chinese eggplants from. A funny old man who was sharing his cooking knowledge to everyone who was a bit amazed by the eggplants or interested on how to make the best out of them. And he was definitely right, my Summer Ratatouille with Chinese Eggplants was a real success for our lunch menu: very fresh, healthy and incredibly tasty.

I didn’t know much about this type of eggplants, and to be honest it was the first time I saw them in a farmers market, in Romania..damn, I think it’s time to plan a trip to Asia ASAP 🙂

I was aware that there are different types of eggplants much lighter than the big and “fatty” ones we all know, and these ones were definitely a real nice surprise: a bit sweeter in taste and a lot more easier for your stomach. And of course I left the market with 3 kilos of eggplants, ready to be cooked in every way possible 🙂

Easy like a Sunday morning, this summer ratatouille is still one of my favorite recipes on the blog so far, so stay with me till the end to find out my cooking secrets.

Summer Ratatouille with Chinese Eggplants

Recipe Type: Main dish

Author: Cori Costache

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

3 Chinese eggplants

handful of cherry tomatoes and 2 big juicy tomatoes

1 red bell pepper

2 small zucchinis

4 garlic cloves

1 small red onion

1 tsp ground fennel

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper freshly grounded

chili peppers

fresh basil and parsley

Instructions

Preheat a big frying pan with the olive oil o a medium heat.

Cut the onion, garlic and the bell pepper and add them into the pan.Let them cook for approx 1-2 minutes, until the garlic and onion gets softened. Add the fennel and cook for another minute until it becomes fragrant.

Cut the eggplants in 2-3 cm thick slices and the cherry tomatoes in half and transfer them into the pan.

In the meantime, grate the big tomatoes so you can use only the pulp and the juice out of them. Add them now onto the pan and cook with the rest of the ingredients for about 10 minutes, with a lid on.

When the sauce begins to thicken, add the small zucchinis cut in slices. Chop the chili peppers and transfer them into the pan. Cook for another 5 minutes, on a medium heat.